Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge

aka: MI2, The Secret of Monkey Island 2
Moby ID: 289
DOS Specs

Description official descriptions

Guybrush Threepwood, the mighty pirate who can hold his breath for ten minutes, could have lived quietly and happily with his sweetheart Elaine, the governor of Melee Island. But the restless pirate spirit won't let Guybrush in peace. Things don't go very well with Elaine, and Guybrush (now with a beard) embarks on a new adventure: searching for the legendary treasure of Big Whoop. However, the evil ghost pirate LeChuck hasn't left the stage yet. His subordinates are trying to bring him back from the dead one more time. Will Guybrush be able to defeat his archenemy again?

Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge is a puzzle-solving adventure game and a sequel to The Secret of Monkey Island. It utilizes the same command-based SCUMM interface (the player uses verb commands on highlighted objects) and branching dialogue system (choosing between several different responses during conversations) that were used in its predecessor. The game features hand-painted graphics, and is the first to utilize LucasArts' iMUSE system, which synchronizes music with visual action on the screen by providing smooth transition between themes.

The events of the game take place on a new set of islands; a part of the game allows the player to explore several islands simultaneously. Uncommonly for adventure games, LeChuck's Revenge features two difficulty levels. The easier one is dubbed Monkey Island 2 Lite; it bypasses or simplifies some of the harder puzzles.

Spellings

  • モンキー・アイランド2 ル・チャックの逆襲 - Japanese spelling
  • 猴島小英雄2:李察克的復仇 - Traditional Chinese spelling

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Screenshots

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Credits (DOS version)

85 People (82 developers, 3 thanks) · View all

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 93% (based on 36 ratings)

Players

Average score: 4.1 out of 5 (based on 483 ratings with 18 reviews)

Can a spitting contest help overcome relationship problems?

The Good
LeChuck's Revenge has been described by some as "the best sequel ever". Considering the fact it was a sequel to a truly fantastic game, and therefore had to be top quality itself, it is really a great compliment, and I think it was justified. The best thing about this game is that it didn't merely repeat all the stuff that made the first game great, but went its own way; it retained much of the original game's atmosphere, while distancing itself from it in tone and style.

Monkey Island 2 is much crazier and much darker than the first game. I played this game two times, and I always felt I was participating in some sort of a carnival show, where the borders between dream and reality are vague, where everything is possible, and where weird and even grotesque situations have become the norm.

The humor is now more edgy, less naive-romantic, sometimes even slightly "black" (though not too much so to destroy the sweet atmosphere that is still there). Just watch that skeleton-dancing cutscene or the insane spitting that takes place when Guybrush and Wally are hanging over a pit of acid. This is the kind of weird humor that made the game so original for that time. Of course, now such things don't surprise anyone, because many adventure games tried to imitate this attitude later (many of them utterly failing), but Monkey Island 2 was really the first that introduced such kind of humor to the genre.

And the puzzles? Carrying a monkey in your inventory, using the most improbable inventory items with the most improbable stuff... pity I can't name specific examples, because no spoilers are allowed in reviews. Suffice to say that the puzzles in this game are even wackier than in its predecessor. The difficulty level is also significantly higher; but the game also has an "Easy" mode, where some of the trickiest puzzles are eliminated.

The dialogues are brilliantly written and very amusing; just check out the conversations with Elaine or with Stan (who became even funnier in this game). Generally, Monkey Island 2 is one of the funniest game I've ever played, and certainly the funniest in the series. Just think of that hilarious library on Phatt Island... There is no end to jokes, puns, pop culture references, and so on.

Now, I was among those few who really loved the ending. I even think it was the best part of the game! It was absolutely weird, very dark, strangely romantic, and in a certain way, even tragic...

The graphics are outstanding, certainly belonging to the finest examples of hand-painted 256-color graphics ever. The characters are noticeably better animated than in the first Monkey Island. The game also boasts a dynamic soundtrack, with some of the most beautiful MIDI compositions around.

The Bad
I'm not sure I loved the new concept of Guybrush. I found him a bit too cynical and somehow weary in the sequel; the youthful enthusiasm from the first game was lacking. Perhaps as a result of that, LeChuck's Revenge doesn't quite charm the same way its predecessor did. It is definitely "bigger and better" than the first one, but the magical "I want to be a pirate" atmosphere is somewhat downgraded to give more freedom to hilarious situations and puzzles.

Speaking of which, the difficulty level here is certainly not for the casual player; even on "Easy", many puzzles are guaranteed to give you a headache, and the much larger game world (three islands you can - and should - move between during a large portion of the game) can sometimes reduce the puzzle-solving to a slightly tedious "click on everything until something happens".

The Bottom Line
The sequel to the glorious simian adventure is much crazier and wackier than its predecessor; although it doesn't quite ooze the same charm, it definitely went further in making the whole business more edgy and entertaining. Add to this killer production values and loads of gameplay, and you'll have a great classic on your hands.

DOS · by Unicorn Lynx (181780) · 2011

Jewel

The Good
This game shows great comic graphics, laugh-out-loud humor and that great LucasArts interface. All this may not seem much at now, since the adventure genre is practically dead, but if you really observe you can see that the Gilbert brothers really did pump everything they have in the sequel to MI.

The Bad
Not much really to put here but maybe the game could have been a tiny bit longer. But hey if it's not long enough for you, go back and play it again. You won't be disappointed.

The Bottom Line
This game may be looked on by others from now as a one of the best adventure games in the now-dying genre. If you can still dust off a copy of this gem, you will see why it was a milestone and one of the best successors to one of the best games ever made (in my opinion.) If you don't already have it.....BUY IT!!!!

DOS · by Zsolt Pardi (19) · 2005

Hey Guybrush, it's voodoo time!

The Good
Since The Secret of Monkey Island sold well, it was not surprising that LucasArts decided to do a follow-up. After Guybrush Threepwood completes the three trials and dealt with LeChuck, he is now searching for the legendary “Big Whoop” treasure. Much of what you have seen in the first game can be seen in the sequel. You have the copy protection screen, this time requiring users to input a number of ingredients needed to make a voodoo recipe. You have to turn the wheel in such a way that the numbers match what is on the screen, or you won't get into the game.

What's unique about Monkey Island 2 is that it offers two game modes, the normal mode and a “Lite” version. The “Lite” version is aimed squarely at a younger audience and is much shorter than the normal mode. It also bypasses a few puzzles, so you won't, for example, get to participate in the Spitting Contest or resurrect Rap Scallion. The game is told in flashback since we see Guybrush hanging by a thread and telling Elaine how he found Big Whoop. After this, you have the nice credits with a beautiful rendition of the MI theme song. The only thing I enjoyed out of this was the dancing monkeys and Guybrush telling them to get lost.

When I finally got into the game, I noticed how neat the revamped interface is, removing the Turn On/Turn Off commands (Since you didn't get to use these commands in the first game, they were unnecessary.) and adding proper pictures to inventory items. I also noticed the background music while you play, and I enjoyed listening to those reggae tunes. I actually found myself tapping my feet to the music at times.

Most of the characters from the first game are here, and there are as funny as they were back then. Speaking of funny, Monkey Island 2 is always known for its humor. Examples: You can walk into the woodsmith's hut on Scabb Island and ask that tounge-twister for an amusing conversation with the woodsmith; or beg the men of low moral fiber just for a bucket; or rattle the garbage can outside a mansion's kitchen to make the chef come out, and run around the house while the chef curses at me. I just can't wait to hear what the dialogue sounds like in the Special Edition of the game.

There are a lot of hand-painted backgrounds, causing the graphics to be rich and colorful than those in the first game. In my opinion, most of the stunning backgrounds are found on Phatt Island.

The Bad
For such a great game, the ending just doesn't seem make any sense.

The Bottom Line
Monkey Island 2 is a great game that every MI fan should play every once in a while. It is much longer than the first one, and there is a lot of humor added to the mix. An easy version of the game can e played by beginners if they want to skip the puzzles, but they would me missing out on the best aspects of the game. I enjoyed listening to the reggae tunes that make up the background music. Monkey Island 2 worked beautiful on my P4/1.8G, no timer-related issue or no crashes. There was no need to use DOSBox or some slowdown program. Unfortunately as I upgraded my machine, running without emulation software became more irrelevant.

DOS · by Katakis | カタキス (43092) · 2010

[ View all 18 player reviews ]

Discussion

Subject By Date
UPC and Disks? Edwin Drost (9295) Jan 22, 2017

Trivia

1001 Video Games

Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Amiga version

The Amiga version of this game was nicknamed Disk Juggling Simulator by the Amiga community because it came on 11 disks that have to be swapped around whilst playing the game.

Death

You can actually kill Guybrush! If you wait several minutes after being suspended above the pool of acid, you will be lowered into it.

Development

Ron Gilbert did not want to use a CD for this game, because he said it ran very slow and it didn't allow them to do what they wanted. He also believed that the CD wouldn't last for more than a couple of years. However, they were forced to delete six major scenes just for it to fit on five disks. However most of these scenes were not complete so a "director's cut" will never be made.

Big Whoop was never intended to be a large part of the game in the beginning.

German version

During development, the German translator Boris Schneider tried to convince Ron Gilbert to change the monkey wrench puzzle because it makes little sense in German. His idea was to switch out the monkey for an Englishman ("Engländer" is about the same idiom as "monkey wrench"). However, Gilbert did not give in.

iMUSE

This was one of the first games to use the iMUSE sound system.

Insult fighting

As of 2004, Monkey Island 2 is the only game in the main series so far to not include the famous Insult-Swordfighting battle sequences.

References

  • Sometimes in the gambling game, one of the possible prizes is a ticket to the Linguini Brother's Circus. But if you win the ticket and look at it, it'll say The Fettucini Brother's (from The Secret of Monkey Island)
  • In this game (as in many Lucasarts games) there are references to other Lucasarts products. For instance, in the antique shop, there is an Indy whip. The voodoo lady and LeChuck have great closeness to Star Wars. And Guybrush hates snakes, like Indiana Jones.
  • In the costume shop on Booty Island you can find costumes of two Hanna Barbera characters: Fred Flintstone and Huckleberry Hound.
  • There are a lot of books in the Phatt City library, one of them is called "The Majesty of the Sierras" (search the LM drawer). After you receive it from the librarian, take a look at it and Guybrush responds:

Sierras? Majestic? I think not. * Sam & Max also make an appearance in the game - look for them in the costume shop. * Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge was so named as a veiled Star Wars reference. The original subtitle of Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi was Revenge of the Jedi.

FM Towns Cliff Puzzle

Normally, one of the puzzles in Monkey Island 2 requires Guybrush to use a fishing line to try and retrieve a map piece from the side of a cliff, only for a seagull to steal it and fly away to a treehouse. However, the FM Towns skips directly to the seagull taking the map piece to the treehouse, omitting the cliff puzzle entirely. It wasn't until 2022 when former LucasArts localization manager Aric Wilmunder explained that the puzzle was cut because of a bug with the vertical scrolling.

Sales

As of 2004, Monkey Island 2 is one of the best-selling adventure games ever, having sold over 500,000 copies.

Awards

  • Amiga Joker
    • Issue 02/1993 – Best Game of 1992 (Readers' Vote)
    • Issue 02/1993 – Best Adventure Game of 1992 (Readers' Vote)
  • Computer Gaming World
    • November 1992 (Issue #100) – Adventure Game of the Year
    • November 1996 (15th Anniversary Issue) - #74 in the “150 Best Games of All Time” list
    • November 1996 (15th anniversary issue) –#2 Funniest Computer Game (together with The Secret of Monkey Island)
  • Power Play
    • Issue 02/1992 – Best Adventure in 1991

Information also contributed by Agent 5, B.L. Stryker, festershinetop, James Kirk, Jason Harang, Late, Marek, Mumm-Ra, PCGamer77, Roedie and xxxxxxxxxxx

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Related Sites +

  • Hints for Monkey Island 2
    These hints will help you solve the game without spoiling it for you.
  • ScummVM
    Get "Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge", as well as many other adventure games, to run on modern systems by using ScummVM, a legal and free program.
  • The Monkey Island Scummbar
    Probably the oldest site dedicated to the Monkey Island series of games. Frequently updated.

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 289
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Are you familiar with this game? Help document and preserve this entry in video game history! If your contribution is approved, you will earn points and be credited as a contributor.

Contributors to this Entry

Game added by eric aili.

Amiga added by POMAH. Macintosh added by Kabushi. Antstream added by lights out party. FM Towns added by Terok Nor.

Additional contributors: Trixter, jeff leyda, IJan, MAT, Unicorn Lynx, Jeanne, Apogee IV, Paulus18950, Patrick Bregger, FatherJack, Kayburt, Vincent Kinian.

Game added September 23, 1999. Last modified February 23, 2024.